Russia Issues Warning About Potential Rice Import Ban Due to Safety Concerns
Published on: April 29, 2024.
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Russia Threatens to Ban Rice Imports from Pakistan Again Over Phytosanitary Concerns
In a recent development, the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (FSVPS) of the Russian Federation has issued a notification warning Pakistan of a possible ban on rice imports if their phytosanitary concerns are not addressed in future shipments. The notification, dated April 2, 2024, highlights a violation of international and Russian phytosanitary requirements in a rice consignment imported from Pakistan. The presence of a quarantine organism, “Megaselia scalaris (Loew),” was detected in the rice.
To tackle this issue, the FSVPS has urged the plenipotentiary and trade representative at the Pakistani embassy in Russia to launch an immediate investigation into the matter. They have requested the relevant official to take necessary measures to prevent such violations in the future and stressed the importance of adhering to phytosanitary standards to ensure the safety of agricultural products traded between countries.
In response, the trade wing of the Pakistani embassy in Moscow has forwarded the English translation of the Russian authority’s letter to the Department of Plant Protection (DPP) in the Ministry of Food Security and other relevant government offices. The embassy has requested an immediate investigation and the sharing of the investigation results with the FSVPS to avoid any potential ban on rice exports in the future.
Furthermore, the FSVPS has also reached out to the director of DPP, calling for a higher degree of cooperation in the field of plant quarantine.
It is worth noting that this is not the first instance of a rice import ban imposed by Russia. Similar grounds led to a ban in 2019, lasting for approximately two years. The ban was eventually lifted after negotiations between officials from both countries. In 2006, Russia also halted rice imports from Pakistan due to non-compliance with food safety standards.
This recent development highlights the importance of upholding phytosanitary regulations in the rice export industry. Pakistani rice exporters must address these concerns to maintain a healthy trade relationship with Russia and ensure the uninterrupted supply of rice.
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